One of the most popular entries at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, Little Miss Sunshine is a unique "family" comedy to say the least. It's developed quite a buzz in the months following its success in Utah, but is it too quirky to strike a chord with the mainstream?

The film follows a dysfunctional family named the Hoovers, who are seeking to fulfill the deepest desire of seven-year-old Olive. She's a seemingly ordinary child on the outside, but she harbors some enormous dreams. She hopes to become the reigning champion at the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant, and to help her attain that goal, her family will travel from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, California in a broken-down VW Bus. On the way, they'll contend with heartbreak and shattered dreams, and once they arrive at their destination, things take a turn for the surreal. And naturally, since they're a family, they learn more about each other and have a lot of laughter and tears.

Little Miss Sunshine boasts a remarkable cast, and though none of them are *quite* A-listers, they're nonetheless incredibly talented (and one of them, Steve Carell, is teetering right on the edge of breaking out). Along with Carell, featured players include Academy Awards nominees Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin. The kids in the film are Paul Dano (an indie darling from his role in L.I.E.) and Abigail Breslin (Signs). (Kim Hollis/BOP)